Cork:
You certainly
are a big bunny.
You're a big,
big, BIG,
GIANTIC,
GIANT
bunny! How did
you get so big?
Do big genes run
in your family?

Big Bunny:No one
knows why I grew
so big.I ate the
same bunny food
and drank the
same bunny water
as everyone else
in my family.But WOW!
It was simply
amazing.I just
grew bigger and
bigger.No one in
Bunny History
has ever grown
so big.

Cork:All the
little bunnies
learned to paint
eggs. Why did
they paint eggs?

Note: All answers are given by either the author or
illustrator of the interviewed character. While Cork and
Fuzz have an endless supply of questions, they rarely
have any answers. They're not all that smart.
____________________________________________________

Cork
meets Stanley,
the somewhat
accident-prone,
but caring
little elephant
from
Elisa Kleven's
picture book,
Welcome Home,
Mouse,
Tricycle Press
2010. Cork loves
Stanley's
colorful world,
done in an
assortment of
media set
against collage
backgrounds. He
found the
details so much
fun to explore!

Cork: You live in such a nice house, with a teapot, and
a mom, and a
recycle bin. Do all
elephants live
in such pretty
houses?

Stanley:
I hope so! I
wish for every
elephant in the
world to be as
happy and
comfortable as
my Mom and I
are. Mom loves
art, so you will
see some lovely
paintings on our
walls. As for
our recycle bin,
Mom raised me to
respect our
beautiful
planet, Earth,
and not to be
wasteful.

Cork: How did you feel when you smashed Mouse's house by
accident?

Stanley:I felt
terrible, Cork.
Can't you see
the tears I
shed? I felt
really badly for
Mouse, and
embarrassed as
well.

Cork: I thought elephants were afraid of mice. What are
you afraid of?

Stanley:
I am afraid of
being laughed at
, shamed (for
being clumsy),
and teased. I
am also afraid
of hunters.
Mom WAS afraid
of mice, but
once she got to
know Mouse she
lost her fear.

Cork: You had a lot of good ideas about a surprise for
Mouse. Where
do ideas come from?

Stanley:
I suppose they
come out of my
imagination.
Just looking at
the interesting
objects or
sights all
around me gives
me ideas!
When I looked at
the bottle cap
from my juice
bottle, for
example, it
reminded me of a
little plate for
Mouse. It's
kind of like
looking at
clouds and
seeing shapes in
them.

Cork: What is the best thing about doing something nice
for someone
else?

Stanley:
It makes me
happy. I am an
empathic
creature, so
when someone
else is sad, I'm
sad as well.
And when they
are happy, I'm
happy, too.

Cork meets Lala, a lovely little rugabee monster who wants to be a princess, from D. J. MacHale's book The Monster Princess, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger, Aladdin 2010. Cork has never met a rugabee before so he has lots of questions because Cork wants to know everything about everything!

Cork: I've never met a rugabee monster before. You live way under the ground and dig up krinkle nuts. What do krinkle nuts taste like?

Lala:Krinkles are my favorite food!They are salty like peanuts, sweet like watermelon and crunchy like popcorn.They’re dishlish!

Cork: You wanted to be a princess, so you went to the castle where you met the real princesses. What was the best part about being with them?

Lala: I LOVED trying on the pretty gowns and sparkly jewelry.It made me feel so special.Best of all, their room smelled like sweet flowers.I’m not used to that because my cave smells like wet fur.

Cork: But the princesses weren't really nice at all. Why do you suppose they were so mean to you?

Lala:I think maybe they were angry because I snuck into their room and tried on their gowns without asking permission.I should have asked first but I was afraid they would have said “no” because I’m a rugabee and people don’t like rugabees much. I’m not sure why.Rugabees may be monsters, but we’re very friendly.

Cork: When the wiffle monster caught the princesses and was ready to make lunch out of them, you saved them. Did it ever occur to you tojust let the wiffle eat those naughty girls?

Lala:Nope.The princesses were mean to me but I didn’t want them to be a wiffle-snack.That would have been horrible! Wiffles are scary but not very bright.We rugabees have no trouble outsmarting them.But princesses don’t get out much and don’t know how to handle them so they really needed my help.

Cork: Your book is written in rhyme.I love rhyme!Can you write a rhyme about me?

Fuzz
meets
and
interviews
a
creative
young
lady
named
Lucy to
learn
about
the
monster
she
drew...
a
monster
who came
alive
and
jumped
off the
paper to
play
until
Lucy got
tired
and
wanted
to go to
bed. But
the
monster
didn't
want any
part of
going to
bed!
Lucy and
the
monster
are the
stars of
Natasha
Wing's
book
Go To
Bed,
Monster!
illustrated
by
Sylvie
Kantorovitz,
published
by
Harcourt,
2007.

Take
it away,
Fuzz!

Fuzz:
When you
were
supposed
to be
going to
sleep,
you
dumped
out your
crayons
and drew
a
monster.
Then the
monster
came
alive!
Do you
have
magic
crayons?
Or did
you say
magic
words?
How did
that
happen?

Lucy:
Squares,
circles,
triangles
and
rectangles
alone
are just
shapes.
But when
you put
them
together
– magic!
That’s
what
being an
artist
is all
about.

Cork:
What is it like
living with
Sofia and her
family above a
restaurant?

Figaro: Mamma
mia! Living
above a
restaurant is
the best! It
smells squisito
24/7, and I can
prowl for snacks
day and night!
Cork, have you
seen the movie,
The Lady and
the Tramp?
Remember the
scene where Lady
and Tramp slurp
noodles? That
pretty much sums
up my life at
the
restaurant...family,
friends, and
lots of pasta!

Figaro: Mamma
mia! If you
think Sofia had
a few kitchen
mishaps, you
should see the
mess I made
creating my
specialties:
Figaro’s
micearoni and
Figaro’s
spaghetti and
furballs! What
can I say? Life
can get a little
messy sometimes
but that’s the
fun of it. Out
of chaos comes
creation!
(Sofia’s family
has yet to put
my dishes on The
Fig Tree’s menu.
And they say
cats are
finicky!)

Cork, we should
have a sleepover
sometime! We
could build a
fort in the fig
tree. I could
make cattail and
root pizza, and
a batch of
beetle gelato,
just for you and
Fuzz! Mamma mia!
That would be
fantastico!

You can be sure if a book is
about food, Fuzz is the first to
jump in and grab up the
interview. Today he's
interviewing Murray, a busy
little mouse who has a recipe
for Perfect Soup and is
determined to make it, even if
it means he has to go through
all sorts of challenges to do
so. Murray is the star of
Lisa
Moser's book,
Perfect Soup,
illustrated by
Ben Mantle,
published by
Random House 2010.

Put down that soup
spoon, Fuzz, and greet
your guest!

Fuzz:
Murray, you like everything to
be perfect. What happens when
things aren't perfect?

Murray:It used to worry me quite
a bit when things weren’t
perfect. I even used to worry
when shoelaces weren’t perfectly
even and one was longer than the
other.But then I realized that
I was spending so much time
worrying that I was missing out
on all the fun around me.So, I quit wanting things
to be perfect, and I started
enjoying being with my new
friend, Snowman.

Fuzz:
Before you could get the carrot
for your Perfect Soup, you had
to do so many things for others.
Wasn't that a lot of bother for
one small carrot?

Murray:Well, carrots are very
nutritious and good for you, but
they’re an even better nose for
Snowman.Snowman is very proud of
his new nose.Sometimes I find him
looking at his reflection in the
frozen pond and smiling. I’m so
happy that
he’s happy, so that makes
the extra bother worth it.

Fuzz:
The horse wanted to wear bells
to feel fancy. What can I wear
to be fancy if I don't have
bells?

Murray:Well, Christmas trees
wear ornaments to be fancy.Presents wear wrapping
paper to be fancy.Doors wear wreaths to be
fancy.You could be super fancy
and wear ornaments, wrapping
paper, and wreaths.

Fuzz:
The story said that Mrs.
Wooley's cocoa burned her
tongue. What's cocoa?

Murray:Cocoa is hard to
describe.Think of all the good and
happy things you know−playing
with a friend, reading a great
book, seeing a rainbow, hearing
a bird sing. Then imagine it was
in a cup and you could drink it!

Fuzz:
Yum! I would like that! And
I like your hat, too. If you ask Mrs.
Wooley to knit a hat for me,
what could I give her in return?

Murray:
You know, I think she is just
lonely.If you sat with her and
talked with her, it would be the
very best gift of all.

Fuzz: I
can do that! I can tell her
jokes, and riddles, and sing her
some songs while she's knitting!
Oh, thank you, Murray! Can I
have some soup now? (And thank
you, Lisa Moser!)

Cork finds himself
interviewing not one, but two
delightful little critters from
Tad
Hills fun book,
Duck & Goose,
published by Schwartz
& Wade Books (Random House) 2006.
They are as cute as all-get-out and
are keeping Cork on his toes. Okay,
you guys, stop bouncing
around and get on with the
interview. Please.

Cork: Duck and
Goose, you found a ball and
thought it was an egg.
If it had really been an
egg, what kind of baby would
hatch out of such a big,
polka-dotted egg?

Duck:
"Actually the way I
remember it is that Goose
thought it was an egg and..."

Goose:
"No, Duck, you
thought it was an egg. I was
pretending to think it was
an egg."

Duck:
"Well, I don't
think...well... anyhow, that
is a very good question. I
think a very
big bird would hatch
out of that egg. A big,
fluffy, friendly, yellow
baby bird with orange legs"

Goose: "Or
white. It could be a white
baby bird with black legs."

Duck:
"Good point Goose. But it
could also be a big turtle
or a big snake because they
hatch from eggs too."

Goose "I
don't want to think about
that."

Duck: "I
don't either. What's the
next question?"

Cork: What's
the best way to take care of
a baby bird?

Duck:
"Well, I think with a lot
of love."

Goose:
"Yes, love. And
breadcrumbs."

Duck:
"Yes, but mostly with love.
And maybe
a nest"

Goose:
"And worms."

Cork: When
you first met, you
both were arguing all the
time. But then you started
to cooperate and do things
together. How do you suppose
that happened?

Goose: "At
first, when we both got on
top of the... ball, we
didn't say much to each
other. But then we started
to talk..."

Duck:
...because we couldn't think
of anything else to not
say..."

Goose: "...and we realized that
we actually had lots of
things in common."

Duck: "Even though I'm
a duck and he's a goose."

Goose
"And we
are different colors..."

Duck:
"Then Goose taught me to
honk and I taught him to
quack. And we were
cooperating!"

Goose:
"And it was much more fun."

Cork: How
long would you have tried to
hatch that ball if the bluebird hadn't come along?

Duck:
"Oh, not very long."

Goose: "I
was about to hop off right
around the time Bluebird
showed up."

Duck: "Me
too. That's a silly
question, Cork."

Goose:
"Yes, it is a silly
question, I agree, Duck."

Cork: There are no
silly questions, don't you
know that? Anyway, what
kind of games did you play
with the ball?

Fuzz is delighted to interview the
enthusiastic and talkative goose from
Suzanne Bloom's Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book,
A Splendid Friend, Indeed,
published by Boyds Mills Press,
2005. When Fuzz read the book, he was impressed
with the persistent Goose, and much admired the
talents (and patience) of Bear.

Fuzz:
You are a very curious goose, and kind of nosey,
too. How did you get to be that way?

Goose:
Well actually I'm beaky, and cute too!
Asking questions is a pretty good way to find
answers.And I am a goose on the go and in the know! Do you think
that's annoying? Should I stop?
How will I find out about things?

Fuzz:
No, you shouldn't stop trying to learn things.
But when you took Bear's book away from him to read
it yourself, didn't you think that might be a
little rude?Goose: Bear was all by himself. Maybe he's lonely, I thought.
Maybe he needs a friend, I thought.
Friends like to share. It turns out I was
right. It turns out we like to do lots of
things together. Bear just didn't know it yet.

Fuzz:
Bear was reading, then he was writing. Maybe he
is a Bear Author! Was he writing a story? What
was it about?Goose: You will have to ask Bear. Even splendid friends have thoughts
they keep to themselves. But probably Bear was
writing about being best friends - with me.

Fuzz:
You and Bear are very different. How did
you get to be good friends?Goose: Do you want to know what I learned? Big or small, furry or
feathery, hushy or talky, everybody wants to be
a friend and to have a friend. Bear was a little
mad at me for interrupting but I wanted a friend
too, so I took a chance and said, "I like you."
And it worked and Bear's not mad at me any
more...mostly. And, do you know what?
we have a new friend, Fox. Do you know
Fox? At
first Fox was a bother, but now we are all
friends; and ready for a new adventure!

Fuzz:
I have a good friend, too. His name is
Cork, and sometimes he gets a little mad at me,
too. But mostly not.
What kind of snack did you fix for you and Bear?
And is there any left? I like snacks.Goose: Just think of what your favorite, yummiest snack is, because that's
what you share with a splendid friend.

Marylou:
I have goosebumps in my slime,My head feels stuffed with words
that rhyme,My heart is beating overtime—All in all, it feels sublime!

Fuzz:
You wrote poems to Herbie in slime.How do
you make slime?

Marylou:I
don’t have a clue—I just doit.

Fuzz:
Is it hard to make slime rhyme?

Marylou:If
you are in love, you’ll seethat it just
comes naturally.If you’re not
in love it maytake an hour
or two a daybefore you’ve
found the perfect rhyme.But don’t
quit—it just takes time.

Fuzz:
Have you ever dated a caterpillar?

Marylou:Oh,
no! From the very startHandsome Herbie had my heart.

Fuzz:
Did you and Herbie have a big wedding?

Marylou:Oh,
yes. We didn’t want to hurt anyone’s
feelings, so we invited the whole
garden. The
HORNets provided the music. The Bees
baked honey cakes. The Butterflies
arranged the flowers. The Fireflies
handled the lights. And the whole Creepy
Crawler baseball team—Babe Beetle,
Mickey Mantis, Coach Roach and all the
rest—threw confetti. (I’m a big baseball
fan—wait till you read SLUGGER—coming in
2012.And
speaking of reading, watch for HOW TO
TEACH A SLUG TO READ in 2011!)

Cork wanted to do something special for
Thanksgiving, so we contacted the turkey from
Run, Turkey, Run! Author
Diane Mayr
was kind enough to round up that rascally bird and get him
over here for an interview. Turkey was more
than willing to get away from the farmer at this
time of year. This fun
Thanksgiving book is illustrated by
Laura Rader, and published by
Walker Books for Young Readers, 2007

Cork:
Why did you run away from the farmer?Maybe he was going to invite you to
Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey:Get real, Cork.Farming is a business, not a social club.

Cork:
You ran away from the farmer and hid with the pigs.
What did it feel like to be buried in mud in the pig
pen?

Turkey:Actually it's quite nice.I understand humans pay lots of money for a
mud treatment at a spa.Hey, maybe we can talk the farmer into
turning the farm into a spa.Spa food is always full of bean sprouts and
tofu and other non-meat items.The farmer makes big bucks.We get to spend the day looking authentic.This is sounding like a win-win for everyone!

Cork:
Your duck pond reminds me of my duck pond. Where did
you learn to swim?

Turkey:The library has a DVD that my mom used to
borrow:“Anyone Can Swim!: Teach Your Poults Water Safety in
Just Three Lessons.”We spent three days at the pond last summer
and wah-lah, I'm an expert!

Cork:
The pigs and the ducks and the horses all tried to
help you. What are some of the best things about
having good friends?

Turkey:Someone to play Monopoly with.Someone to share pumpkin pie with.Someone to go swimming with.That's one of the first rules of water
safety--always swim with a buddy.

Cork: Do
you ever plan on going back to the farm yard?If not, then where are you going to go?

Turkey:Of course I'm going back!There's no place like home.(That's what
Dorothy said. My mom used to borrow a lot of DVDs from the
library.)I'd like to travel, but I'm pretty much a
homebody.Although, if I did
have to leave the farm yard, I'd go to
Washington, D.C. to see the Library of Congress.And maybe the Postal Museum.

Cork: You seem to
have a very smart brain. It really would be a shame
if the farmer separated it from your.... ewwww...
never mind. Thank you, Turkey. Thank you, Diane!

So, grab one of those
cute little floor mats and join the circle. Fuzz
thinks he knows all there is to know about pottying,
but he may have a few things to learn.

Fuzz:
Arnold, what is a toilet?I've never seen
one in my woods.

Arnold: A
toilet is exactly like a basketball hoop, only lower
to the ground and it has a bucket of water
underneath. Also, basketballs don’t fit in toilets,
and if they end up there by accident, your big
brother will be very, very angry. You get no points
for making rim shots though I do like to try for
3-pointers. (My mom doesn’t like it when I do that.)

Fuzz:
Freddie, that toilet thing looks dangerous. Could
you be sucked in and disappear?

Freddie: You know, stuff
gets sucked down there many times EVERY SINGLE DAY.
You can never be too careful. Also? My cousins live
in New Orleans and they say sometimes animals come
up in the toilets – rats, snakes, salamanders!
{shudder} So, yeah. I wouldn’t let my guard down.
Better have a potty pal and a tow-rope nearby, I
always say.

Fuzz:
Stanley, is it a bad thing to tinkle outside? I
always do it.

Stanley: I
like the fresh air, and I don’t have to stop playing
or wait for a turn in the bathroom and as long as
you find a nice private tree…What, Mr. Ernst? You
want me to tell them the reasons why we’re not
allowed to pee on trees? Okay, okay. Let’s
see…because you don’t want to show the world your
private parts, because somebody might step in it,
and because kids are not dogs. Did I get it right?

Fuzz:
Georgie, do you think you would wipe every time if
you found some soft leaves like I do? (But stay away
from thistles.)

Georgie:
You know, I tried some nice soft leaves one time.
They came in three-packs and were very pretty, with
a little bit of red around the edges. But they did
not make my bottom feel better, I think they made it
worse. I couldn’t hardly sit still in class. Another
time, I tried these leaves that were long and skinny
with rippled edges, and let me tell you – those
didn’t even make it to my bottom, they stung my
hands so bad. No sir, I think I will just skip the
leaves altogether. But not the toilet paper. I will
definitely not skip the toilet paper anymore.

Fuzz:
Agnes, what kind of sounds do you make when you have
a bubble in your belly?

Agnes:
Sometimes I giggle when I’m trying to keep the
bubbles in, and sometimes they groan inside my tummy
when I keep them in too long. But it depends on what
you eat, Fuzz. A Coney dog with chili and onions
sounds like the entire brass section of a marching
band in a football game halftime show. So I skip the
Coney dogs before church.

Fuzz:
You are very small. Would you like to sit on my lap
for the interview? Or should I lay on my belly so we
can be nose to nose?

Bertie:
I think today I will use stilts. You think it's hard
to walk on two stilts, try four.

Fuzz:
Hey! That works! Okay, your name sounds like
'birdie,' but you're not a bird.You're a dog who's
as small as a bird.What kind of dog
are you and how did you get your name?

Bertie:
What kind of dog am I? Why, a bird dog of course
:-). Actually, when I was born, the nice old lady
who owned my mother was sitting in her rocking chair
freezing. Just as I was being born, the old lady
said to her maid, "BRRRR! Tea?" All she wanted was
something to warm her bones. I understand. I like
warm bones too. Anyway, my mother thought the old
lady was saying what I should be named. So there you
have it. Oh yeah, what kind of dog? I'm a cross
between a St. Bernard and a Great Dane. Recessive
genes. It happens.

Fuzz:Hmmmm. I'll have to look that one up.
But first... a robber came into your house late one
night.Where were your
people? Weren't you scared?

Bertie: They were at an all-night bowling
tournament. And scared? I would rather face a robber
than risk being run over by a runaway bowling ball.

Fuzz:
I noticed that the robber wore red sneakers.Do you know where
he bought them, and do they sell red sneakers for
possums?

Bertie: Why do you want to wear sneakers? Go
barefoot, like me. Feel the road. Be one with the
earth.

Fuzz:
I always do go barefoot. I just
thought a change would be nice. Anyway, that robber
wasn't very smart.Are all robbers
dumb?

Bertie: Smart is relative. The robber was smarter
than, say, a rock. Not much, but some. But he wasn't
as smart as, say, a rose petal. You don't see rose
petals trying to sneak in your window at night. But
rocks, and robbers, they do. Don't they know you can
cut yourself?... Unless you're a rock?... Maybe
rocks are smarter than robbers. Now, could you help
me down from these stilts? I don't know what I was
thinking! I have acrophobia! HELP!

Fuzz: Ooof! Did
you have to fall on me? You're a lot heavier than
you look. Well, thank you, Bertie. (And thank you,
Rick!)

Who would have thought Ugly Pie could
be a good thing? Ol' Bear didn't only think it, he knew it, in
Lisa Wheeler's
delightful book Ugly Pie, illustrated
by Heather Solomon, and
published by Harcourt Children's Books 2010. Come on
along with Cork and let's find out about Ugly Pie!
Maybe we'll even be inspired to make our own.
(There's a recipe at the end of the story!)

Cork:
When you woke up with a hankering, what made you
think of ugly pie?

Ol' Bear: When I smelt the first nip of Autumn, I
thought of my dear ol’ Granny who made the tastiest
Ugly Pie in these here piney-woods. After that,
nuthin’ else would do.

Cork:
What is pie, anyway?I never had any
pie a all.

Ol'Bear: You poor li’l feller! *sniff* I ain’t never
heard of a body who ain’t had pie. No wonder you is
so short. Let me tell you ‘bout pie. Pie is what you
get when you wrap heaven up in a doughy dream and
bake it in the oven until it's golden brown. Pie is
warm and sweet and oozing love. Pie is good for the
heart and soul. Pie is a hug from your Granny.

Cork:
Pie doesn't sound ugly the way you describe it!
Sometimes I find some really ugly mushrooms.Would they make a
good pie?

Ol' Bear: You sure is one mixed up li’l feller,
aintcha? Them mushrooms might make a nice ugly
casserole, or some of that fancy schmancy citified
food, but you put them in a pie and you is one
washed up muskrat. No respectable pie would sit in
the same picnic basket with a mushroom — ugly or
otherwise. It just ain’t right!

Cork:
If I wanted to come to your house for some ugly pie,
how would I get there, and could I bring Fuzz?

Ol'Bear: I would be honored to have you and Fuzz,
both. It’s time ya’ll had some of my beautiful ugly
pie. Just swim across that yonder pond, scuttle down
over them there rocks, follow the path past where
the old elm used to a grow a’fore it got chopped
down, then ignore all the houses between there and
mine. I’ll hold a place for you at my table.

Cork, being a sweet creature
himself, is easily caught up in all things sweet, and so he
is especially interested in talking with Owen, the piggy
from Sandra Horning's
charming book,
The Giant Hug, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev,
Alfred A. Knopf 2005. Owen wants to send a hug to his
granny, and Cork is pleasantly surprised to find out how
this is possible.

Cork: How did you
think of the idea to send a hug to your granny?

Owen: My granny always hugs
me when she sees me, but she lives so far away, I don't get
to hug her very much. When my mom asked me what I wanted to
send Granny, a hug was the first thing I thought of. I just
knew she would love it.

Cork: When Leroy the
rabbit had to pass the hug to James the porcupine, wouldn't
it hurt to hug a porcupine?

Owen: I guess it might hurt
a little if you aren't careful, but I think Leroy was sure
not to squeeze too hard. Plus, James was wearing his work
uniform, which keeps most of his prickly spines covered.

Cork: If you sent a
hug to me, would the mailman find me in my pond?

Owen: If you have a mailbox
at your pond, the mailman will definitely find you! Mail
carriers do a great job of getting mail to people every day
all over the world. They even deliver mail in terrible rain
and snowstorms.

Cork: I guess I'd
better get a mailbox! Do you suppose there'll be a lot of
hugs flying around the world because of your book?

Owen: I sure hope so. Everyone should be lucky enough to get
a hug at least once a day!Here's a
hug from me to you, Cork!

Fuzz: You
chickens are afraid of everything! How did you get
to be so chicken?Chickens:
We learned from our parents--they were chickens too.

Fuzz:
That's very interesting!
I liked the part in the book where you fell into the ditch full
of mud. Mud is fun! Why didn't you just stay there
and play?Chickens:
What? What if we never came out? What if we got mud
in our eye? What if we became mud hens?

Fuzz:
I see your point. Mud in the eye isn't fun.
I like all the matching words in your story, like
squeaked, squirmed, squealed, and squawked. Can you
think of matching words to go with my name?Chickens:
We like this rhyme that is about your very cool
tail... Fuzz's tail curled, twirled, and unfurled.

Fuzz:
Oh, I have to remember to do that! Usually I just
drag my tail through the dirt.
You all did a lot of squawking in the book. Did you
get sore throats from doing that?Chickens:
Nope, we keep them in good shape by squawking a lot
every day.

Fuzz:
I would be scared, too, if I ran into a wolf!
But you finally were very brave. I'm afraid of the
giant buzzard bee. How can I be brave when I see it?Chickens:
Be yourself. Being chicken works if you're a
chicken. Playing possum works for possums and it's
much easier on the throat.

Fuzz:Oh, right! I can do
that! Thank you, Big Chickens! Thanks Leslie!
Last one home is a rotten egg!

Cork:
When you saw the new kittens, your tail
wagged very, very fast.Can you teach me to wag my tail like
that?
Katie: My tail was
wagging very, very fast?I had no
idea!Next time
I see the kittens I will have to see for
myself.

Cork:
What does "Arooooooo" mean?
Katie: It's just a sound
I make when I'm very excited.I can't
help myself!It's kind
of like a mix between a song and a cheer.

Cork:
What makes better pets... dogs, kittens, or
chip-mouses?
Katie: I never had a
pet, so I don't know.I do hope
that I am as good a pet as kittens and
chipmouses!

At first Fuzz
felt a bit self-conscious talking to an egg.
But he soon relaxed when he discovered that
Humpty Dumpty was a very funny egg.
Humpty Dumpty is from the very funny book
Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again,
written and illustrated by the very funny
Dave Horowitz, and published by the
very funny
G. P. Putnam's Sons, in the very funny year
2008. Herrrrrreeeee's Fuzz!

Fuzz:
Mr. Dumpty, you are the first egg I've interviewed. What
happens when you open your mouth to answer my
questions? Isn't that like making a crack
in your shell?

Humpty: Feel free to call me Humpty. That’s a silly question, Fuzz. Although
I can “crack a smile,” opening my mouth is no
big deal. You see, there are many types of eggs
in this world — there are Chicken Eggs, Goose
Eggs and Crocodile Eggs — but I’m what you’d
call an Anthropomorphic Egg. Just like you, we
Anthropomorphic Eggs are born with mouths and
noses and knees and everything. Can you imagine
talking to a Chicken Egg? Ridiculous.

Fuzz:
I'm an Anthropomorphic? I thought I was
a possum! Wait until I tell Cork! Anyway, after
the You-Know-What happened to you, and all the
King's Men couldn't put you back together again,
you sat around in your underwear and felt sad.
Do you know if they make underwear for possums
or muskrats?

Fuzz:
You are confusing me! First you tell me
I'm an Anthro-poor-something, and now you say
I'm a dude! I am a possum!
Oh, nevermind. Tell me, why did the dish run
away with the spoon?

Humpty: Well, around here, everyone is super
into fitness. So when I stopped climbing, The
Dish got into long distance running… you know,
like marathons and stuff. Personally I think
running is lame, but whatever.

Fuzz:
The King's favorite horse, Milt, got stuck on a
ledge way up high on a rock wall. How did he get
up there?

Humpty: You know, Fuzz, it’s funny, I never
thought about it. I’m just glad I was able to
help. I suspect he just started climbing and
then got stuck. After all, climbing up is way
easier than climbing down; just ask the next cat
you see stuck in a tree.

Fuzz:
What do eggs eat for breakfast?

Humpty: I can’t speak for all eggs, but I
usually just have a bagel with cream cheese, and
some coffee.

Is that the end of the interview, Fuzz? That was
really fun. If you and Cork ever feel like
giving rock climbing a try, I hope you'll give
me a call. Of course, I will ask that you at
least wear some underwear. That’s just how I
roll.

Fuzz:
Well, it isn't easy for anthro-poor-possums to even find underwear! So I'll have to
roll like I always do. Bottom's up.

Cork: You are a very poetic pig.You wrote a
birthday poem for your best friend, Gabie.How did you get to
be best friends with a duck?

Sidney: Yes, Gabie and I are best, best friends,
just like you and Fuzz. And just as Fuzz is way
taller than you, I am way taller (and wider) than
Gabie. We met a long time ago when our mothers took
us to a playground. I was on one end of the seesaw,
and Gabie and eleven other ducklings were on the
other. It was the beginning of a beautiful,
well-balanced friendship.

Cork: You wanted to change your name because there were no
good rhymes for Sidney. Can anyone just change their
name if they want to?

Sidney: Sure, you can. But you’re lucky, Cork. Your
name already rhymes with Fork and Pork and Stork.
I’d mention Dork, but that might not be polite.

Cork: Well, thank you for not mentioning Dork. I've noticed
that you are a very big pig. You must eat a lot.
What are your favorite foods?

Sidney: Yes, I do like to eat. And I like to cook.
In the book about me, I cook pancakes and I make
green beans mixed with watermelon, which my visiting
mother finds quite delicious.

Cork: You had to go to pick up your mother. Do pig mothers
fly coach? Or do they have to be in a crate in the
luggage compartment?

Sidney: I don’t know about all pig mothers, but my
mother always flies first class because the seats
are wider.

Cork: I did
see the
picture of your mother in the book, and I guess she
does need a wide seat Ummm... I'm not saying
she's fat or anything... she... she just wants to be
comfortable. I think I'd better say Thank You now.
Thank you, Sidney. (And thank you, Jane!)

Cork is on his best behavior
because he's going to meet royalty! And because he's going
to interview a princess, he's combed out his fur with a
pinecone, scraped the mud off his tail, and is putting his best
foot forward (which in Cork's case, is his right front foot.)
The princess is from
Naomi Howland's delightful picture book,
Princess Says Goodnight, illustrated by
David Small, and
published by
HarperCollins, 2010. Take it away, Cork!

Cork:
Are you a real girl pretending to be a princess, or are you a
real princess pretending to be a girl?Princess:
I’m
a real princess on the inside.Sometimes it shows on the
outside, too.

Cork:
Is it okay for a muskrat to curtsy and can you teach me how?I have really short legs.Princess:Anyone can curtsy; it
is a polite way to greet royalty.To curtsy, cross one leg in
front of the other and then bend your knees and dip.Hold your skirt out, if you
are wearing one.I don’t know if you have
knees.Try not to fall over - it ruins the
pretty effect.

Cork:
Oh. Okay. I think I'll practice later. How come your bed has
curtains all over it?Princess:The curtains are there
for the ultimate in fancy decoration. They are purple which is
my favorite color after pink.

Cork:
Is your frog really a prince?Princess:My frog’s name is
Prince so he really is a prince.Also, because he is very
thoughtful, I would say he is a prince among frogs.

Cork:
The story says you have ladies-in-waiting. What are they waiting
for?Princess: They are waiting for me to
become queen.

Cork:
I think they might have a long wait. But it will be worth it.
Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Naomi! I think I'll go
practice curtsying now... behind a bush... where no one can see
me.

Cork, being a sweet creature, is often drawn to
others of the same nature, so he politely asked to
interview the little lamb from Lezlie Evans book, Who Loves the Little Lamb,
illustrated byDavid
McPhail,
published by Disney Hyperion 2010. This is a
perfect book for a new baby!

Cork:
There are a lot of different animals in your book.
Are they all friends of yours?Little Lamb: I
have the most in common with Pouty Calf. We are
good friends and like to play hide-n-go-seek together.
That is when I am not feeling too fussy and he is not
off pouting. I also like to eat lunch with my
friend Bumbling Boar down the road. He is always
spilling his milk, but his mama just pours him more and
says, “That’s all right, there’s plenty more. Mama
loves her little Boar.” Why don’t you and Fuzz come have
lunch with us next week?

Cork:
Could we really? That would be so nice! But first
I want to know about the noisy bird in your book. There
is a noisy bird in my neighborhood that wakes me up too
early in the morning. Do you think it's the same
bird, and how can I get him to sleep later?Little Lamb: I do
not know of a way to get the noisy bird to sleep late.
He practically beats the sun up each and every morning!
Then he starts chirping away! His Mama does her
best to sweeten his song though. She is often
reminding him to, “Sing sweetly, please, you’ll still be
heard.”

Cork:
Your book is all about love. I really like the sound of
that word – love. It feels nice in my
mouth when I say it. Do you know any other words that
feel nice in your mouth?

Cork:
Hmmm. But maybe not the word LIVER. I like
how all the mamas have good ideas and know what to do
and what to say. But it makes me sad, too, because I
never see my mama anymore. Could you sing me a
song to cheer me up?Little Lamb: I
would be happy to sing you a song, Cork.

You are my
muskrat, my only muskrat.

You make me happy
when skies are grey.

You’ll never
know, Cork, how much I love you.

Please don’t feel
sad and lonely today.

Cork: That's
a beautiful song! Thanks! Your book makes me feel
good in my heart when I read it, like strawberries feel
good in my stomach when I eat them. Do you happen to
have any strawberries with you?Little Lamb: My
mama says that strawberries will stain my yellow shirt
and I should be very careful when I eat them. Would you
like to come and share a strawberry with me, Cork?
I know my mama will wash and cut some strawberries for
us because she loves me “from dawn till after day is
done”. That’s what she says in my book anyway. Even when
I am a fussy little lamb, my mama loves me. Just like I
love you and Fuzz! I am so glad we are friends.

Cork: It would be fun to come for strawberries. I
have to see if I can find Fuzz first. He said he was
going to hunt for potato chip bags. That could take a
long time. Thank you, Little Lamb. Thank you,
Lezlie.
__________________________________________________________________________________

When there's a book that involves food
(even if in a small way) Fuzz waves his hand frantically and yells,
"I'll do it! Let me do the interview!" So, because food is his passion,
we'll let him interview the little llama from the fun book written and
illustrated by
Anna Dewdney,
Llama Llama Mad at Mama, Viking 2007.

Fuzz:
I love books on how to get food because I'm always hungry!But I didn't know there is a place called Shop-O-Rama that is
filled with food!What a
great idea!Who invented
that?Llama Llama:I don’t know who invented it, but it is a strange place.Yes, it has food…it has everything!I don’t know how they get everything in the world to fit into one
big store!I don’t really
like it too much…it is too confusing for me.But my Mama needs to shop there, so we do it together.

Fuzz:
Can I only go to the Shop-O-Rama with my Mama?Or can I go by myself (because I don't know where my Mama is.)Llama
Llama:I think you would be
really confused if you went to Shop-O-Rama by yourself.I know I wouldn’t want to do it

Fuzz:
Your Mama put lots of food in that square trash can with wheels that you
were riding in. Do you ever park that trash can near the woods? (After
it's filled with food?)Llama Llama:That isn’t a trash can, silly!That’s a shopping cart!Hey, you don’t do a lot of shopping at the mall, do you?And I think they’d get really mad if we took the shopping cart
away from Shop-O-Rama and put it in the woods!

Fuzz:
Oh, nuts! I thought is was a good plan anyway. What are Cheezee
Puffs?Llama Llama:Cheezee Puffs are super-yummy cheesy, crunchy treats.They leave orange yucky stuff all over my hooves, though.Wow…I’ll bet you would really like Cheezee Puffs!

Fuzz: Yes! Yes! I would really like some Cheezee Puffs! Can I go
shopping with you sometime?Can we eat as much as we want?Llama
Llama: Hey, any time you want to go shopping with me and with Mama, you
are welcome to go.You’ll
have to ride in a car seat or a booster seat, though…my Mama ALWAYS
straps me in.And then
maybe you can try Cheezee Puffs!

Fuzz: Errr... I don't know if I'd
like to be tied down with anything. Maybe I can just ride on the
top of your Mama's car?

Because he's never
been on anything with wheels, Cork is fascinated with the book
Hot Rod Hamster, written by
Cynthia Lord, illustrated by
Derek Anderson, and published by
Scholastic Press 2010. Cork has never been on anything faster than his
rear end sliding down a mud slick, so he hopes to find out what it's like to
be in a speeding race car!

Cork
: What made you decide to be in a hot rod race?
Hamster:I saw a sign that said, “Race Today! At 4-Paws
Speedway
!”I like to race, and I have four paws! So it
was perfect for me! So I went to the junkyard and told my friend, Bulldog,
“I need a hot rod.” You have four paws, Cork. Do you like to race?I know some mice that could help you build a hot rod, too.

Cork : I'll need to think about that.
But first I want to know why they call a racing car a hot rod?Hamster:Because it’s fiery-fast!

Cork
: Did you have to pay an entrance fee to get in the race?Hamster:No, because someone named Rust E.
Hydrants sponsored the race. Here’s what I needed:

Cork
: Weren't you afraid you'd get run over by all those big cars?Hamster:I’m build for speed! I was surprised
how big the dogs and their cars were, but just because you’re little, it
doesn’t mean you can’t be first.

Cork
: What are you going to do with all your trophies?Hamster:I have them in my living room!I feel proud and happy every time I see them.Would you like to wear my crown?

Cork: Old Man Winter kept telling
you to go to sleep, but you always heard his words wrong. Why was that?
Was there something in your ears?

Big Bear:In
the beginning of the story, I didn’t hear Old Man Winter because I
wasn’t paying attention.I
saw this wonderful beehive in a tree and all I could think about was
eating delicious honey!After
that, I just kept getting more mixed-up, probably because I was so tired.Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate when a person, or a bear,
needs a nap.

Cork: When Old Man Winter told you
to sleep, you thought he said jeep,
so you found a jeep and drove it around.How did you learn to drive?

Big Bear: I had never driven a vehicle
before, but I wasn’t worried because my friend, Little Rabbit, was
sitting on the hood of the jeep giving me directions.I’ve found that difficult situations in life are always a little
easier when you have one good friend at your side – or in front of you
on the hood of a jeep.

Cork: I like the pages in the book
where you were diving to the bottom of the deep lake. What's it like to
dive in a lake when it's snowing outside?

Big Bear: Oh, was it snowing outside?I was so tired I didn’t even notice.I just stumbled to the lake with my eyes half shut and dove in.

Cork: I almost cried for you when
you were sitting on the mountaintop in the cold wind and snow, wishing for
a warm blanket. Did you ever feel like crying?

Big Bear: Everyone feels like crying
now and then.It’s okay to
cry when you’re sad.I
wasn’t sad when I was on the mountaintop, just very tired.And it was so cold out, if I had
cried I think the tears would have frozen on my face!

Cork: What's it like to hibernate?Don’t you get hungry and thirsty?

Big Bear: I’m always hungry!It takes a lot of food to fill a Big Bear like me.So I really stuff myself before I settle in for the winter.It’s fun to hibernate because I sure do love a good nap, and of
course, I always dream about honey!

There's no predicting what Cork or Fuzz
will do, and today is no exception. Instead of interviewing another
book character, today they're interviewing their own illustrator, Lisa
McCue! The newest book in the series is The
Babysitters and will be released in May. Lisa is now working on
the art for seventh Cork and Fuzz book The
Swimming Lesson, by Viking Children's Books.

Cork:
You're always making pictures of us. How
do you know what we look like? Are you spying on us or something?Lisa:
Define spying. If you mean standing on the edge of the pond hiding
in the reeds with a pair of binoculars, camera, and a sketchbook,
well…. yes. But I prefer to call it gathering reference.

As for Fuzz, there's a
possum that's picking through my garbage pail looking for food scraps
every night.

Fuzz is that you?

With all the banging and
clanging going on I always know when I can sneak out and take some candid
shots for reference. It’s a little dark though. Kind of hard to see.

But it is you, Fuzz, isn’t it?

Anyway, using my reference
pictures, and some general muskrat and possum pictures from the Internet,
mixed with the author Dori Chaconas’s detailed description of your
personalities, I have a pretty good idea what you look like.

And I’m on to you Fuzz!

Fuzz:I
would really like a red vest. Maybe you would watch me better if
you gave me a red vest.Did you ever
think of that?Lisa: Stop
digging in my garbage pail and we’ll talk.

Cork: How come you draw me so
short and fat, while you make Fuzz tall and handsome?Lisa: As
the illustrator I must follow what the author writes in the story. If the
author writes that you are a short fat muskrat, well my hands are tied, a
short fat muskrat I must draw. Talk to the author, maybe she will consider
changing you to a tall handsome giraffe.

Fuzz: How
come you draw me so tall and gawky, while you make Cork small and cute?Lisa: If
I drew you small and cute, you would be a mouse.

Fuzz: Do
you think you could draw in more food in the books – like banana cream
pie or jelly sandwiches?I get
so hungry!Lisa: Hmmmm….
I’ll make you a deal. I’ll sneak you an extra donut in your next book TheSwimming Lesson if my garbage pail is left alone.

Fuzz: Whoa just a minute! What swimming lesson? Who's going
to get a swimming lesson? Not me! No, no, no way! I don't do
water. So just put the donut into your garbage pail and save all of us a
lot of trouble, okay?

Where there's food, there's Fuzz. So
when Chicks
and Salsa came across our desk, Fuzz sat on
it until I agreed to let him interview the rooster. The book is
written by Aaron Reynolds,
illustrated by Paulette Bogan,
published by BloomsburyUSA
2005. Little does Fuzz know that while the book is about
food, there's no actual food in the book. Life's realities can be tough.

Fuzz: You and the chickens got tired of eating
chicken feed.What exactly is chicken feed?

Rooster: Hard to say. Ground up corn mostly,
I think. But if you’re going to eat corn, it should at least be in
tortilla chip form, don’t you agree?

Fuzz: "Olé" is a fun word to say.What does it mean?

Rooster: I just saw the guy on Food Network
say it, so I picked it up. I wasn’t sure what it meant, so I Googled it.
Technically, it’s just a cry of excited approval. And when it comes to
salsa, I approve excitedly. Olé!

Fuzz: "Guacamole" is another fun
word to say.I'd like to know
where those ducks got the avocados.

Rooster: There’s this rat that pops up on
Nuthatcher Farm whenever we run short on hard-to-find ingredients. Handy,
that rat. Who knows where he gets his stuff, like avocados. Sam’s Club
possibly.

Fuzz: I like the recipes in your book.Have you thought of making up a whole cookbook of your own?

Rooster: I was working on a French cookbook
until I realized how many eggs are involved in French cooking. Now I’m
in the doghouse with the whole henhouse.

Fuzz: You know how to make salsa, and nachos,
and guacamole. Would you make a recipe called Enchilada
del pollo?